


make a wish on an evening star

by haelpack



Category: Good Morning Call (TV)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Off-Page Break-Up, Present Tense, catching feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 14:38:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18390428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haelpack/pseuds/haelpack
Summary: Nao had a blast at the amusement park, pretending to be Issei's girlfriend. More fun than she's had in a long time, it seems. And Uehara never seems to want to go on dates, or do anything fun at all. So maybe she has to look to others to have fun.Is it strange that she has more fun spending time with Issei than she does with her own boyfriend?





	make a wish on an evening star

Nao felt as if she’d never laughed so much in her life. She was practically leaning against Issei to keep from falling over as the laughter wracked her body. Issei’s hand felt completely natural inside her own as he continued to drag her around the amusement park. He knew the park well and he seemed to have a knack for figuring out which rides or games Nao would enjoy. Almost without thinking, he seemed to avoid all of the spinning rides (which always made Nao feel sick and were never very much fun at all). 

Over the course of the “date”, Nao kept forgetting about Yukari’s ever-presence behind them. Then, she would catch a glimpse of Yukari’s unhappy scowl and slightly heartbroken eyes and Nao would be struck with the reminder that she was supposed to be playing a part. She was supposed to be convincing Yukari that she and Issei were together and in love. She worried that she wasn’t doing a good enough job, since she’d forgotten to pretend. But then, Issei would declare he was going to win at the ring toss and could he please borrow five dollars and her worries would drop away.

At the very end, Yukari admitted that she’d been convinced for a while.

“You both are very much in love with one another,” she said a bit stiffly. “I’m a little jealous, actually.” She kicked her foot softly, avoiding eye contact with both Nao and Issei.

Nao was kind of surprised. Without really trying, they’d managed to convince her. It had been easy; she hadn’t had to fake anything at all. She’d tried much less than she did with her _actual_ boyfriend, and yet it had been a fun (and convincing) day. Belatedly, she smiled at Yukari and thanked her.

With Issei leading the way, they made it halfway through the parking lot before she remembered they were holding hands.

—

It’s been days since the amusement park “date”, and Nao can’t stop thinking about it. She finds herself smiling at random moments as she thinks back on how warm the sun was, Issei winning a stuffed pink bear for her, being able to see so far from the very top of the ferris wheel.

“What’s got you so happy?” Uehara’s voice brings her back down to Earth. She realizes she’s been idly pushing her sukiyaki around on her plate, a dazed smile on her lips.

“O-oh, nothing,” she says quickly with a nervous smile. She quickly stuffs some food in her mouth as an excuse to keep from elaborating. Uehara raises his eyebrows, clearly not believing her. But he doesn’t push it. He never tries to get her to say what she really feels.

Nao waits, hoping Uehara will say more. Say something! Anything! Care about what makes her happy, dammit!

Nothing. He just stuffs rice into his mouth, his cheek puffing like a gerbil.

Nao swallows before slowly saying, “I was, um, thinking that we could go on a date? This weekend?” She’s nervous he’ll say no, so she makes it more like a question than a suggestion. “You’re not working on Sunday, right?”

Uehara shakes his head. “No, the coffee shop is closed this week. My boss is going out of town to visit family, I think.” Nao brightens. He hasn’t rejected her idea!

“I was thinking we could go to the amusement park,” she continues happily, “I had so much fun with Itchan and I thought we would have even more fun together-”

“I was actually planning on using the time off to catch up on my homework,” Uehara says a bit plainly. “I have a lot to do still. This weekend’s not a good idea.”

Nao’s stomach drops, but she tries to hide her disappointment.

“Oh, okay, well maybe another weekend,” she says through a fake smile. Uehara shrugs, seemingly not noticing the change in her demeanor.

“Amusement parks aren’t all that great, anyway. You should probably just go without me and we can do something else.”

Nao hums in agreement before slowly continuing to eat. She tries to be happy that he still wants to work out a date with her, but she can’t help but be sad that he doesn’t like amusement parks. Perhaps it’s a guilt thing. She keeps thinking about the great fun she had, and it was with _Issei_ , not her boyfriend. Maybe she was trying to replace those memories with similar ones with Uehara so she wouldn’t feel bad about how much fun she had with another guy.

She doesn’t voice any of these thoughts. She keeps them to herself, and the rest of dinner is silent. It’s not an awkward silence, per se, but Nao can’t help but feel awkward. Idly, she tries to count the actual number of dates she and Uehara have gone on. Her heart sinks after only a moment.

But, he said they would go on a date soon. Not this weekend, but _soon_. That was something to hold onto.

Right?

—

Nao blots her sweaty forehead with her sleeve as Issei locks the front door. It’s late on Friday night and it was very busy. Fridays and Saturdays are the ramen shop’s busiest days, especially the evenings. Tonight seemed to be especially so. Nao slumps into a chair, taking a moment to catch her breath.

“You can head out early, if you like,” Issei tells her. She shakes her head.

“No, I can stay! I don’t want to make you clean up by yourself,” she insists when he tries to interrupt. He relents, giving her a smile. It drops from his face a moment later (he seems to almost silently scold himself) and starts to tell her where to start. She follows his instructions and they work in companionable silence. Issei’s father left about an hour ago, so it was just the two of them.  
“So,” Issei starts after a little while, “any big weekend plans? It’s not often you get the whole weekend off, after all.” Nao just sort of gives a half shrug. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, Uehara has to catch up on schoolwork, so I’ll be on my own pretty much the whole weekend,” she says.

“That… that sucks,” Issei says after a moment.

“It’ll be pretty boring; I hardly have any homework,” Nao continues, wiping down a table with a wet rag.

“None of your friends are free?”

Nao flushes. “I, um, kind of told them I had plans with Uehara. But I made the mistake of telling them before I talked to him so…” She trails off, laughing a little to try to lighten the mood. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Issei pause in his mopping.

“I was thinking about going shopping in Harajuku for my cousin’s birthday,” he says after a long moment. “It might not be much fun, but you could join me. It would get you out of the house, at least.”

Nao lights up without even thinking of it. “That would be so much fun! I’ve never been to Harajuku before!” As a child, she’d see commercials and TV shows set in Harajuku and had always wanted to go see those special, brightly colored shops. Regular stores always seemed so pale in comparison. 

“You haven’t?” Issei asks, looking at her with a strange, fond look on his face. She shook her head.

“No, my mom hates how touristy and busy it is, so we never went.” She meets his gaze, smiling so brightly the sun could have been shining at eleven o’clock at night. “I can’t wait!”

—

Perhaps Nao is putting too much thought into her outfit on Saturday morning. Issei said he would pick her up around eleven, so she got up at eight to ensure she would be ready. But now, it’s almost eleven and Nao hasn’t found the correct outfit to wear to Harajuku. There’s a strong part of her that wants to ask Uehara his opinion (half because he’s the only one around to ask, and half because she wants him to get a teensy bit jealous that she’s spending the day with Issei. Never mind that when she told him about the shopping trip, he just shrugged and said it was good for her to get out of the house.) but she doesn’t. It feels weirdly personal and she wants to make this decision on her own. 

Finally, just as there’s a knock on the front door, Nao settles on a cute striped top tucked into a pair of shorts. It’s both cute and appropriate, which is Nao’s preferred look. She runs out to get the door, shouting over her shoulder to say goodbye to Uehara, and opens the door with a grin.

Issei looks oddly shocked when he takes in her appearance, and Nao is confused for a moment until she remembers that Issei really only ever sees her in his old sweats with her hair tied back at work. The only other time he’s really seen her in proper clothing was… the date… Oh. Right.

Nao finds herself blushing a little as Issei clears his throat and asks if she’s ready to go. She nods mutely, confusing feelings swirling around deep inside her, and she follows him out the door and down the stairs.

It doesn’t take as much time as Nao would have thought to make it to Harajuku, and she can tell right away when they’ve arrived because there’s suddenly people _everywhere_. It’s a bit overwhelming, especially with all the tourists and middle school girls everywhere.

Issei slips his hand into hers. She gasps a little (she hardly even holds hands with Uehara! Her _boyfriend_!), but Issei holds on tighter.

“Don’t want you getting lost,” he explains, smiling a little.

“I wouldn’t get lost!” She protests, but he just shakes his head, clearly not believing her. “I wouldn’t! I’m very good at following directions.”

“There’s a lot of people, it’d be easier than you’d think,” Issei insists. Nao feels likes she should argue more, but has to admit that it’s nice to hold his hand. And within five minutes of Issei maneuvering the crowd, she’s grateful that he can just drag her along. They end up inside a cute clothing store that’s tucked away a bit, and it’s a relief to not be swarmed by people anymore.

Issei does not let go of her hand. Nao doesn’t say anything, but takes the lead.

“Oh! Those are so cute,” she gushes, pulling him across the shop to a row of sundresses. She hums happily as she pulls a pink one off the rack, holding it up to her body. She angles herself so Issei can see, still holding his hand tightly. “What do you think, Itchan?” 

It almost looks like Issei’s blushing, but that can’t be right. It must be the lights in here, giving his cheeks a warm glow. He clears his throat.

“It’s nice,” he says awkwardly. “But I don’t even know where to start for Minako.”

“Minako?”

“My cousin. I have to find her a birthday present, remember?” Nao blinks. Oh, right. She’d completely forgotten that their shopping trip had an actual purpose.

“Oh, well what sort of things does she like? I can probably find her something,” she offers. Issei shrugs. He lists the color pink, a popular singer, and an animal mascot from a children’s anime.

“Oh, and she’s twelve,” he adds. Smiling a little, Nao takes a look at the very stylish, college-age patrons of the store.

“This probably isn’t the best place for Minako, then,” she tells him, “so we should find a different store.

“We can look around here a bit more,” Issei insists, “if you want.”

“But what about Minako’s present?”

“I mean, we have all day, don’t we?” Nao’s a little shocked that Issei intends to spend the whole day with her, but she’s also touched. She nods, humming in agreement. Without thinking, she hands Issei the dress she’s chosen and starts to drag him over to the skirts.

Nao has three bags when they finally emerge from the store. She is holding one in her free hand, and Issei is holding the other two in his free hand. Nao stands on her tiptoes to scan the shops above the crowd until she sees an pop culture-themed store that might be a good starting place for Issei’s cousin.

They shop for hours. Nao has a blast, running around stores, trying to hunt down the perfect present for Minako. She keeps getting distracted by stuff that she likes for herself, and even a few things that immediately make her think of Issei. Issei has a lot of fun making Nao laugh and/or scream over the various strange items that can be found in some of these shops. More than once, Nao drops to the floor as she laughs, only to be pulled back to her feet by Issei, who’s laughing as well.

It’s the most fun she’s had in a while. The most fun she’s had since— well, since the amusement park, if she’s being honest.

Is it strange that she has more fun spending time with Issei than she does with her own boyfriend?

—

Nao does something she’s never done before. She calls in sick to work. She isn’t sick, not really. Well, perhaps emotionally. Nao is currently curled up under her covers, trying to figure out what her complicated feelings mean and what she should do about them.

She thinks she might like Issei as more than a friend.

It’s a thought that fully hit her like a train after Issei walked her to the door after their shopping trip two days ago. They’d held hands the entire way home, even after the crowds had vanished and it was just the two of them on the street. And Nao hadn’t wanted to let go. And she really hadn’t want to go inside her apartment and make dinner for Uehara. She wanted to stay with Issei.

The thought makes her want to cry. How has this happened? Does she not love Uehara as much as she thought? How else could Issei have wormed his way into her heart like this? And what does she even do now? She _lives_ with Uehara, she can’t just break up with him! Especially not after only two days of feeling this way.

Nao just wants to mope, honestly. She wants to mope and angst and hope this problem magically goes away on its own. Of course, she knows it won’t, but it’d be nice if it could!

She toys with the idea of calling Marina, asking for her insight. But Marina was friends with Issei, too, and she isn’t known for being good at keeping secrets. Still, Nao could really use her advice right about now.

Nao almost breaks down and calls Marina when there’s a knock at the front door. Grateful for the distraction, she tosses her phone on the bed and walks to the door. It’s probably Yuri, stopping without calling like she likes to. Nao really doesn’t mind, and now that she thinks about it, Yuri might be a good person to talk to about this. She’s no stranger to complicated relationships, after all.

Nao’s eyes widen and she freezes when she opens the door. It isn’t Yuri. 

Issei stands there, his glasses on his face and a large tub held in both hands. They stare at each other for a long moment before Issei chuckles a bit.

“You really are sick, aren’t you?” He asks, stepping forward. Instinctively, Nao moves aside and lets him into the apartment.

“Uh,” she says dumbly, “what are you doing here?”

Issei sets the tub on the kotatsu and opens it. The heavenly scent of Ichiban’s ramen fills the room and Nao’s heart.

“I figured, soup always helps when you’re sick. And what better soup than ramen, right?” He asks, smiling sheepishly. He glances around the room. “Where’s Uehara? Isn’t he taking care of you when you’re sick?”

“Oh, um, he had to work,” Nao says sheepishly, trying to skirt around the fact that Uehara didn’t stay because she’s not _actually_ sick. Not to say that he would have stayed and babied her if she actually was, but that’s beside the point.

Issei says nothing to this, which excuses her from having to defend Uehara. She gratefully allows the matter to drop and kneels next to the kotatsu.

“That smells so good, Itchan,” she all but moans. “You really didn’t have to bring me food.” Still, she’s already breaking the chopsticks and folding her hands. Issei shrugs.

“I… just don’t want you calling out all the time,” he says begrudgingly. “We need you at the ramen shop.”

Nao can’t help but feel pleased as she murmurs, “Thanks for the food,” and digs in. She’s lost in the delicious ramen until another pair of chopsticks bump into hers. Issei has his own pair and he’s trying to snag some of her food. She lets out an indignant squawk through her full mouth.

“What, you didn’t think I was going to let you have it all?” Issei asks, snagging a piece of chicken.

“Uh, kinda!”

“I came all this way! The least you can do is share with me,” Issei insists. Nao doesn’t think that makes much sense, but relents and lets him have some without more of a fight. 

“You don’t look very sick,” Issei comments when the bowl is almost empty. It’s just the broth (Nao’s favorite part) left. Nao freezes for just a moment before trying to laugh it off. She grabs the bowl and drinks the broth just to avoid answering Issei’s non-question.

Issei is somehow able to read between the lines. “You’re not really sick, are you?” He sounds hurt, and it kind of breaks Nao’s heart. Slowly, she sets the bowl down and sheepishly shakes her head.

“I, um, I have a lot to think about,” she tries to explain, “and I was nervous—”

“Why would you be nervous to come to work?” Issei asks, confused. 

“I— I think I might like you,” she says quickly, “and I don’t know what to do.”

It’s most definitely not the answer Issei expects. His face almost shuts down as she says it, causing panic to fill her from her toes all the way up through her heart.

“That’s not funny,” he says stiffly, standing up. He looks so angry. Nao can’t help but feel hurt. “You shouldn’t joke about stuff like that. You have a boyfriend,” he reminds her. She flushes.

“I’m aware,” she says. “That’s why I was trying to take time to figure things out. And I’m not joking, but if you want to treat it like one, you can leave.”

She starts collecting the trash to throw away, purposefully not looking at him so he won’t see how much it hurts her when he leaves. She supposes that’s one plus for Uehara; he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go, so he can’t just leave. Then she thinks that’s a very sad point to give him.

She can practically feel Issei hesitate. “You’re really not joking?” He asks softly.

“It doesn’t matter,” she replies, shoving the carry-out containers in the trash. Tears prick her eyes. Feelings are the worst. Feelings lead to rejection which leads to broken hearts. Why couldn’t Nao just be satisfied with the boyfriend she already has? Why does she have to want more?

“It does matter,” he says. She looks up at him (finally) to see him smiling, looking happier than she’s ever seen. “I like you, too, you idiot.”

—

Two days and one messy break-up later, Nao rolls into the ramen shop on her day off. Issei stands where he always does, cooking the ramen. He doesn’t even look up as he shouts his welcome.

The restaurant is fairly empty (it’s not quite dinnertime yet), so Nao slips behind the counter to hug Issei from behind. It’s a simple form of affection, but more than she’s ever seemed to have before.

“You’re not working today,” Issei says lightly. Nao rests her chin on his shoulder and hugs tighter.

“Well, the apartment’s so lonely with just me, so I thought I’d come visit.”

Issei pauses. “You broke up with him?” Nao nods.

Before she even knows it, Issei’s dragging her into the back room, just out of sight of the customers. His face breaks into the biggest grin she’s ever seen as he cradles her face to give one, simple, loving kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> the ending is a little eh, but i spent days on this and couldn't figure out a good way to end it soooo


End file.
